New England Patriots Look to Have Joint Practice with New Orleans Saints

The New England Patriots and New Orleans Saints are set to kickoff their preseason with an exhibition game on August 9, but a league source, according to Greg. A Bedard of the Boston Globe, is reporting that New England's head coach, Bill Belichick, has contacted the Saints about holding a joint practice during training camp, leading up to the preseason opener.

Having a joint practice prior to a preseason game is definitely a wise decision—especially when it's prior to the preseason opener. It allows each team to line up against someone other than a teammate prior to actually doing it in live action on the field.

The Patriots and Saints do have a history of holding joint practices, as they did so back in 2010. And in a report posted by Mike Reiss of ESPN Boston following the practices, Belichick felt that it was very productive:

I thought yesterday’s practice was probably one of the most productive practices that I’ve been part of in my career.

There's no reason why both squads wouldn't like to do it again, considering that the Saints are going to need as much work done as anybody in the NFL with interim head coach Joe Vitt filling in the for the suspended Sean Payton—who will be sitting out the entire 2012 season due to his role in the team's bounty scandal.